The appropriations will reduce the contingency cash balance from $7.5 million to $5.9 million, according to the Executive Office.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved roughly $1.6 million in appropriations to fill early gaps in the current fiscal year budget, drawing down the county’s cash reserve, without notable impacts to the General Fund.
In a 4-0 vote without comment — and with Supervisor Karen Spiegel absent — the board signed off on the Executive Office’s expenditure request as part of a first-quarter 2024-25 “clean-up,” which typically occurs every September, after the state’s budget for the new fiscal year is in operation.
The appropriations will reduce the contingency cash balance from $7.5 million to $5.9 million, according to the Executive Office. The largest share of the outgo will be for costs tied to the March Air Reserve Base Joint Powers Authority, as part of an ongoing revenue sharing agreement, officials said.
Despite the draw-down, General Fund inflows and outflows for the current fiscal year remain on track, and in a few cases, agencies identified higher estimated revenues. There was no projection for a significant change in the $9.2 billion appropriations blueprint approved by the board in June.
The current budget represents an 11% increase over the 2023-24 spending plan.
One of the bright spots for the current fiscal year is the county’s reserve pool is expected to hit $698 million, compared to $590 million at the end of 2022-23. Executive Office staff estimated county discretionary revenue — which, unlike programmed funding, the board may use for any purpose — will top out at $1.22 billion, a $100 million increase over 2023-24.
County CEO Jeff Van Wagenen confirmed at the end of June there are remaining 2021 American Rescue Plan Act funds in the county treasury, but they’ll have to be spent by Dec. 31. The county received $480 million in ARPA allocations and another $500 million in 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act money. The federal infusions have been applied to “budget stabilization,” community development, infrastructure projects and related programs.
Under the current budget, $2.6 billion is going to the Riverside University Health System, the largest set-aside in the spending plan, at 27% of total expenditures. The outgo translates to a 5.6% increase in healthcare-oriented obligations.
Public safety agencies are next, with $2.2 billion in expenditures, 8.5% more than last year’s outlays and 23% of the composite budget, while the social services portfolio will get $2.1 billion in General Fund receipts, also representing an 8.5% increase compared to 2023-24 and comprising 21.4% of the budget.
A quarterly report on county finances is due in November.
